Job 16 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Then Job answered,

² all these things before.\par You three men give me trouble,\par not comfort.\par

³ Your long speeches never end!\par Why do you continue arguing?\par

⁴ I also could say the same things you say,\par if you had my troubles.\par I could say wise things against you\par and shake my head at you.\par

⁵ But I could encourage you\par and give you hope\par with the things I say.\par

⁶ “Nothing I say makes my pain go away.\par But keeping quiet doesn’t help either!\par

⁷ Truly, God, you took away my strength.\par You destroyed my whole family.\par

⁸ You have made me thin and weak,\par and people think that means\par I am guilty.\par

⁹ “God attacks me,\par he is angry at me\par and tears my body apart.\par God grinds his teeth against me.\par My enemy looks at me with hate.\par

¹⁰ People have crowded around me.\par They make fun of me and slap my face.\par

¹¹ God has given me to evil people.\par He let wicked people hurt me.\par

¹² Everything was fine with me,\par but then God crushed me!\par Yes, he took me by the neck\par and broke me into pieces!\par God used me for target practice.\par

¹³ God’s archers {\cf2\super [29]} are all around me.\par He shoots arrows in my kidneys.\par He shows no mercy.\par He spills my gall {\cf2\super [30]} on the ground.\par

¹⁴ Again and again God attacks me.\par He runs at me like a soldier in battle.\par

¹⁵ “I am very sad,\par so I wear these clothes of sadness.\par I sit here in the dust and ashes,\par and I feel defeated.\par

¹⁶ My face is red from crying.\par There are dark rings around my eyes.\par

¹⁷ I was never cruel to anyone\par \{but these bad things happened to me\}.\par My prayers are right and pure.\par

¹⁸ “Earth, don’t hide the wrong things\par that were done to me.\par Don’t let my begging for fairness\par be stopped.\par

¹⁹ Even now there is someone in heaven\par that will speak for me.\par There is someone above\par that will testify for me.\par

²⁰ My friend speaks for me\par while my eyes pour out tears to God.\par

²¹ He speaks to God for me\par like a person {\cf2\super [31]} arguing for his friend.\par

²² “In only a few years I will go to that\par place of no return (death).\par